Please Note This website is a tester for page layout and data visualization for the Lipp Lab COVID Wastewater monitoring project. The data on this page are not peer-reviewed or finalized for public release and thus should not be interpreted as such. If you are interesed in viewing the final data from this project please visit this website.

All Data

Sewage samples are collected weekly from water reclamation facilities that serve Athens Clarke County (WRF A and WRF B). Samples are tested to detect and measure SARS‑CoV‑2, the virus that causes COVID‑19.

We measure the virus by detecting two genes specific to SARS‑CoV‑2, the N1 and N2 nucleocapsid genes, using RT-qPCR. The N1 and N2 gene targets are measured and reported as a concentration, in number of gene copies per liter of wastewater. The theoretical Limit of Detection (LOD) is noted.

We predict that changes in the concentration of SARS‑CoV‑2 in wastewater will reflect the community trends of circulating COVID‑19 infections. The daily number of newly reported COVID‑19 cases in Athens-Clarke County (purple) appear alongside the 7-day moving average of new cases (yellow). Changes in SARS‑CoV‑2 in wastewater may precede changes in reported cases because of lags in clinical testing.

Individual Plants

WRF A

WRF B

WRF C

How to Cite
Lott M, Norfolk W, Robertson M, & Lipp E. 2020. Wastewater Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 in Athens, GA. COVID-19 Portal. Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases.